ALERT FOR GARDEN CITY

ALERT FOR GARDEN CITY
Bengaluru,







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The green cover of Bengaluru in 1973 was 46,639 hectares and three decades later, it has shrunk to a shocking 17,298 hectares. Despite several measures taken by the government and the public to retain the green cover, environmentalists fear an ecological disaster awaits Bengaluru, says Amit S. Upadhye
Could we be heading for a period of such ecological destruction that the only green pockets left in the city will be Cubbon Park and Lalbagh? Some forest officers seem to think so.

They paint this bleak scenario against the backdrop of shrinking green cover around the city and within it, under pressure from realtors and industry.

Their fears are not without reason. Survey of India maps showed in 1973 that trees and plants occupied 46,639 hectares of Bengaluru although it was a much smaller city then. The maps now show this green cover has shrunk to 17,298 hectares while the city is more sprawling than ever. The diminishing quality of the environment in Bengaluru has left ecologists worried and perplexed about what can be done to stop it from deteriorating further.

Former environment secretary-turned-green activist A.N. Yellappa Reddy feels successive governments are to blame as they did not anticipate the growth of Bengaluru and plan for it.

“None of the governments between the Seventies and mid-Eighties showed any concern for the water bodies and green cover while accommodating an ever increasing number of industries. In fact, the race for industrialisation triggered unhealthy competition between the states in those years,” says Mr Reddy, who served as environment secretary in the Nineties.

Ecologists fear the loss of green cover will impact the health of people and we could see more children falling sick.

“Things will only get worse if we lose even what is left of the trees and the lakes,” they warn .

“Every citizen can contribute in his own way to improve the environment of Bengaluru. Waste segregation is very important and needs to be encouraged in every household,” Mr Reddy adds.

Noted ecologist and film personality Suresh Heblikar suggests industries fan out of the city and development be taken to other towns to take the pressure off Bengaluru.

“There are a number of cities across the state where industries and IT majors can establish their units,” he says.

Unless the loss of green cover is taken seriously, the future will be grim, warn ecologists.

“Most of the forest area around Bengaluru is under pressure, particularly from realtors. If the city continues to grow the same way, we could lose all the forests bordering it,” warn forest officers, supporting the concerns of the environmentalists.

ECO CONCERN ‘ How many responsible citizens are there in Bengaluru? Article 58G of the Constitution clearly states that it is every individual’s responsibility to keep the environment clean. But no one seems to care. People throw rubbish wherever they like.

— M. Mahesh Kumar, teacher The government must reduce automobile pollution by restricting the number of new vehicles coming on the roads, encouraging mass transport facilities and levying tax on second vehicles.

— Anita Kapali, an NGO volunteer.

There is a lack of awareness ‘ about safeguarding the environment even among the educated in Bengaluru. The government must bring in rules or enforce the existing ones effectively. so that people stop littering. The railway tracks are fast turning into garbage dumps with more and more waste being thrown out of trains.

— Mahesh K.,